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The man behind one of YouTube's most popular TV channels is accused of assaulting a minor. According to a report released Monday, the girls who appeared in his videos tended to behave in a frightening way.
Seven-year-old Ian Rylett, the owner of 55-year-old SevenAwesomeKids, reportedly demanded a young girl undressing against his will during a film shoot in August in a Florida hotel room, according to a report by arrest obtained by BuzzFeed News.
The girl, under the age of 16, claims that Rylett touched her chest and petted her, eventually attempting to remove her underwear by force, according to the arrest report.
The report states that Rylett threatened her if she did not comply. At one point, he would also have demanded that she "exercise to wrap her breasts to make them look smaller for video shooting."
Rylett, a native of the UK, was charged with obscene and lascivious assault and pleaded not guilty last month.
Although YouTube was informed of the arrest in mid-August, Rylett's channels remained in place, with the latest video released a month ago.
Created in 2008, the SevenAwesomeKids brand has 17 million subscribers across seven channels, including SevenPerfectAngels, SevenFabulousTeens and SevenTwinklingTweens.
The last channel, SevenSuperGirls, has about 9 million subscribers and offers daily videos of more than 20 girls ages 8 to 18. Rylett pays them a monthly salary to appear in the videos, which he directs.
YouTube profits from ads sold against videos but told BuzzFeed that they had demonized SevenAwesomeKids soon after Rylett's arrest.
Some of the performers who appeared in channel videos said they had never been abused by Rylett – but made them feel uncomfortable and often made them appear younger.
"When traveling, we used to joke about his scary behavior, but we never thought that he would act accordingly," said a girl to the website.
In 2017, comedian Daniel Tosh suggested in his Comedy Central show "Tosh.O" that the channel was being watched by pedophiles and child molesters.
"Then, some of us started to feel like being prepared for a darker audience," said a former SevenAwesomeKids performer. "Things that did not seem strange at the time – such as themes, leotards and angles – began to look strange. I started feeling this feeling, especially when you think some of these girls are 9 years old.
The girls said YouTube did not offer them any resources.
"In all my years of shooting for the channels, there has never been a conversation with YouTube. There was no support for the children's representatives I know and no numbers to call to report things, "said a former interpreter. "We were alone."
The streaming giant said it was "working closely with leading child safety organizations and other actors in our sector to protect young people."
"When we are informed of serious allegations of this nature, we take action, which may include suspension of monetization or, at the conclusion of an investigation, the termination of the channel," said YouTube. .
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